Biographies of Women Mathematicians

Florence Nightingale David

August 23, 1909 - July 23, 1993

Written by Catherine O'Sullivan, Class of 1998 (Agnes Scott
College)

Florence Nightingale David was born August 23, 1909. She began her
academic
life in 1929 when she set forth with dreams of becoming an actuary. After
graduating
from Bedford College for Women in London in 1931, her dreams were
unfortunately put
on hold. David applied for a career fellowship at an insurance firm and
was unexpectedly
turned down. When she inquired why, she was told that although she was the
most
qualified applicant, she was a woman. It was here that she learned "the
two lessons which
have haunted [her] all [her] life...first that women tend to be unfairly
treated and second,
if you persevere difficulties can be overcome"(2). Her father said "you
will meet this all
your life...get on with your work,"(2) and so she did. David wrote to a
friend about the
many disappointments she went through early in her career. She said the
reasons people
turned her down for jobs was because "they hadn't got facilities for women
to use the
toilets" (2). Not only did David overcome the injustice that confronted
her, but with her
achievements, she opened the door for other women in statistics.

Fortunately, David's perseverance paid off quickly when in 1933 she was
offered
a job by Karl Pearson to work as a research assistant in his laboratory at
the University
College in London. Pearson made sure David's college scholarship was
extended and
served as a source of encouragement for her. Two years later she became an
assistant
lecturer for the college's Statistics Department and then received her
doctorate in
statistics from there in 1938.

In 1939, David made the most out of the opportunities brought forth by
World
War II. She became an experimental officer and senior statistician for the
Research and
Experiments Department, was scientific advisor on mines for the Military
Experimental
Establishment and served as a member on the Land Mines Committee, Ministry
of Home
Security and Scientific Advisory Council. David felt that the war gave
women more
opportunities and that conditions for them are now better because of it.

After the war, David continued her job as lecturer at the University
College in
London until 1962 when she became a professor. The college had a society
for scientists
on the faculty, but David was not a member because it did not include
women. Therefore,
David took a stand and founded a scientific society that included both men
and women.
At the same time, David also became a visiting professor and research
statistician for the
Department of Statistics and Applied Climatology and Forestry Division at
the University
of California, Berkeley. In 1968 she was offered a job as professor and
chair of the
Department of Biostatistics at the University of California at Riverside.
David
became the chair of the department of statistics in 1970. Seven years later, she retired
from Riverside
and became professor emeritus and research associate in Biostatistics at
the University of
California at Berkeley.

In addition to her teaching, David was the author of two
monographs, nine books, and
over 100 papers in scientific journals. Her book "Games, Gods, and
Gambling" is a
classic book on the history of probability theory. She was also a review
editor for Biometrika. David was
elected as a fellow to the American Statistical Association in 1954 and
became a member
of the International Statistical Institute in 1951 and the Institute of
Mathematical
Statistics in 1946. Among the many academic honors awarded David
was becoming the
first recipient in August of 1992 of the Elizabeth L. Scott Award
sponsored by
the Committee of Presidents
of Statistical Societies. She received this award for her "efforts in
opening the door to women in statistics; for
contributions to the profession over many years, for contributions to
education, science
and public service; for research contributions to combinatorics,
statistical methods,
applications and understanding history; and her spirit as a lecturer and
as a role
model" (2). In her acceptance speech for the award, David explained that
although women
have come a long way, it is still important "to remember to teach the
young that when
you meet a set-back don't sit down and weep, go and get on with your work"
(2). David
died in 1993 and left behind not only her academic achievements, but also
an open door
for women to enter mathematics.

May 1996

Additional Note, December 2005
In 2001 the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies and the Caucus for Women in Statistics established the Florence Nightingale David Award. The description of this award reads:

This award is named after Florence Nightingale David, an accomplished statistician and the first recipient of the Elizabeth L. Scott Award. This award is to be granted to a female statistician who serves as a role model to other women by her contributions to the profession through excellence in research, leadership of multidisciplinary collaborative groups, statistics education, or service to the professional societies. The F. N. David Award, established in 2001, will be awarded bi-annually (odd years) and consists of a plaque and cash award.